It’s time to talk about what no one’s talking about.

The fact is, 72% of entrepreneurs are affected by mental health issues, yet the subject of our personal wellbeing gets pushed beneath the content carpet of Growth, Revenue, and the Latest Marketing Trends. 

Now, I’m not saying these things shouldn’t be talked about (‘cause, yes, revenue is one of the core drivers behind any business)…

But we, as a society, and you as an entrepreneur, have to decide if we actually want the future we’re designing – a future of wealthy, yet unhappy people.

Or perhaps,

A ‘successful’, but unfulfilled you?

Luckily, the decision isn’t Happiness vs. Wealth, because the most successful entrepreneurs I’ve known all prioritize mental health before their businesses. Even high-flying CEO’s in Silicon Valley regularly tout the mantra, “Quality sleep, healthy diet, consistent exercise”.

Because simply put, you just can’t perform at your peak or create beautiful things when you’re feeling like a shell of a human.

However, in the Social Media world that many entrepreneurs inhabit, we’re bombarded with the highlight reels from others that send the message to the world that they have it, ”All figured out,” and if you’re not doing or creating in a similar frame of reference, it can leave you feeling like you don’t.

Over time, this can deal a major blow to your confidence and overall mental health.

While in reality, a lot of other entrepreneurs are sat in the same IKEA office chairs, endlessly swiping through Reels and feeling the exact same way –

They’ve got it, I don’t.

Gah! What a loada BS! Shut-it Brain!

The modern, sophisticated consumer knows that you can’t trust what you see online, but so often as business owners we forget this, getting lost in someone else’s marketing about how her client made 8 figures in one day by sending one email with just three words in it 🤯 *Now join this 100k Mastermind to find out what those “secret” words were!* 

The consumer’s gotten wise to it and frankly, we need to as well – To stop doing things in the name of vanity and more in the name of authenticity. 

Real-Human-to-Real-Human.

So, let’s get raw and vulnerable about the true hardships that come with building an online business, including some steps you can take to protect your mental health and happiness as things get busy, tough, or oh-my-god-cluster-f**k overwhelming.

Time to Discuss: 3 issues entrepreneurs face that affect our mental health – and what steps can we take to alleviate them

1. Sitting in Comparisonitis

Comparing ourselves to other entrepreneurs is one of the most common issues plaguing the online entrepreneurship community, especially when it comes to social media. I hear about this over and over from clients and  colleagues: “I’m not doing enough,” “I should be doing ____,” or “So-and-So is doing ____ and they’ve beaten me to it.”

Sometimes these micro-thoughts pop into the recesses of our minds as we scroll Social Media, before we even have a chance to realize it’s triggering our anxiety or stress. 

How to combat this?

Put your blinders up

If you start to feel the comparisonitis creeping up, that’s the best time to focus on YOU and your brilliance. 

I put my blinders up early on in my business when realized that I was spending too much time consuming other people’s content. I became incredibly intentional about who I was letting into my personal space and started producing far more content than I was consuming. Not constantly looking around at what other people were doing made a huge difference in not only my mental health but the progress and authority I built in my own business.

2. Holding Space for Entrepreneur Guilt

The irony I see so frequently amongst entrepreneurs is that most started their own business for more control over their time, the desire to get out of corporate-hustle culture, and create a better day-to-day for themselves.

Yet our online industry continues to push the idea that more is better. This, in turn, creates a ‘should-do’ mentality that tends to follow us around anytime we sit down for a ten-minute cat cuddle and make us feel like either: 

a) We have to do it all 

or, b) We’re not doing enough. 

How to combat this?

Step away + Simplify

This is all about the way we train our brains to see the way we use our time. 

Remember that you are not meant to be stuck on a hamster wheel of constantly working 24/7. 

That’s not what life is all about.

What I had to do was train my brain into realizing that stepping away actually meant that I could work more efficiently later on – not to mention I got to start enjoying the perks of running my own business that I’d set out for in the first place.

If you have thoughts like, “I need to keep working or I’ll fall behind,” counteract it by saying, “Actually, I will do a better job for myself and everyone around me if I take a break and step away for a while.” 

I use these reframes to this day.

Now every time I step away from my laptop to take time for myself and recharge, I come back more productive, I make better decisions, and I am able to help my clients in a deeper way.

Additionally, simplifying your offers, business plan, marketing strategy is key to long-term success. You don’t need a complex system or method to get you to the next level – You need clear, simplified strategies and time and space to execute.

Remember, you absolutely do not have to do everything, and you will show up better in life – not just in business – when you allow space for yourself to breathe, enjoy, and live. 

3. Accepting Burnout Cycles as the Norm

Before I hired a team to support the KC Brand, I was on a perpetual cycle of high-stakes, quick-turnaround deadlines (that I’d often imposed on myself).

I always had a big project or launch that I was working on, and I would always tell myself, “Everything will settle down when this project wraps up.”

But when it ended, the next project would be there for an immediate start – giving me zero relief and leaving me in an unhealthy pattern of burnout.

While there’s something to be said for working hard for what you want – easy seasons in business should come and go just as busy seasons do. It’s up to us to set up our workload for sustainability. 

How to combat this?

Outsource support

After a while, I really had to examine this and start thinking seriously about hiring support. With some irony I was fully aware of, I just kept putting it off because I didn’t have time to hire.

To me it made more sense, on the surface level, not to take that extra time to hire some help because it was more work in the present moment.

Although hiring and training someone does take time, it is a huge mental relief once things are taken off your plate. (Big love for my team, I couldn’t do this without you!)

If you already have support and you’re still feeling burnt out – I recommend looking at a few key things:

1. Is the current support you have in place the right support for what you’re needing?
   
   
2. If you’re overbooked with clients and projects, it may be time to raise your rates and lessen your client load.
   
   
3. What tasks are you currently doing that you can train your team to take over for you? 

If you’re feeling exhaustion develop, this is the task you need to prioritize first. When you make time to hire or restructure your support sooner rather than later, it will help you exponentially in the long run.

In everything, give yourself grace, put your blinders up, and you do you. Remember that your mental health is more important than everything else, even your business. So if you’re feeling burnt out, anxious, or stressed – just hit pause and take time for yourself.

You deserve it. 

If you’re ready to get off the 24/7 business hamster wheel so you can live your life (and run your business) the way you really want to, join the waitlist for the Freedom Found Collective. FFC is a 9-month, high-touch consulting + mentorship program to help female founders expand into empowered 6-figure CEOs.

The fulfillment and ease you deserve are within reach.

Waitlisters will get exclusive access to early-bird bonuses.

Get on the Waitlist here